a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a golf club.
b) Prior Art
Golf clubs which comprise a head and a shaft, are generally classified as one of three types: a wood, an iron, or a putter. Irons are classified by the loft angle of their head. Irons with a small loft angle (for example, from 20 to 30 degrees) are called xe2x80x9clong ironsxe2x80x9d, while irons with a large loft angle (for example, from 40 to 50 degrees) are called xe2x80x9cshort ironsxe2x80x9d. Normally, irons are numbered in ascending order from longest to shortest, for example, Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, PW (pitching wedge) and SW (sand wedge).
In golf clubs, soft feel of string balls is preferred, and thus conventional golf clubs have used low-carbon steel or soft iron such as S20C as materials, of which the surface has been plated for protecting from corrosion. Such conventional plating has been comparatively hard, such as hard chromium (Vickers Hardness:Hv900), nickel boron plating (Hv800), and nickel plating (Hv450).
As golfers, particularly those who are in an advance course and professional golfers tend to prefer softer feel of striking balls, they are very sensitive to any change in the feel of striking, ball-spins, and controllability of balls, despite the plating layer being as thin as 20-30 xcexcm. For this reason, such golfers have used golf clubs which are free from plating only in face or in the whole surface, in the case of short irons such as PW and SW. However, there would occur a problem that portions free from plating will naturally get rusty.
To eliminate the above problems, it is, therefore, a main object of the present invention to provide a golf club which can produce a softer feel of striking particularly requested by advanced players and/or professional players.
To attain the above objects, there is provided, in accordance with an aspect of the invention, a golf club, which includes a metallic head body with a face, said face having a surface in a front, wherein a plating layer of Hv 200 or below is formed on a surface which at least includes said surface of the face.
According to the structure, there can be provided a golf club which is provided with a soft face for striking a ball.
According to another aspect of the invention in accordance with the foregoing aspect, the said plating layer is a silver plating layer which is so soft and elastically deformable that a ball can be given sufficient spins because such a soft silver plating layer enable a ball to be in contact with the face for a longer period of time.
According to a further embodiment of the invention, there is provided a golf club according to the foregoing aspect, wherein said surface of the face is colored.
According to the structure, it is possible to provide a golf club in which reflection of light is prevented.